Harry Potter: On with My Life
by A. Amishi
Summary: This story deals with the direction Harry chooses to take with his life now that his quest to destroy Voldemort is over. It also touches on the ghosts of his past and how they affect his life. This is a HG story with some RHr.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.

Title: Harry Potter: On with My Life

Warning: This story contains some strong language and some adult sexual content.

Author's Note: The first four pages of this story are a flashback in third person narrative of what happened over the past three years of Harry's life after heading off to find the Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione.

This story is told in 3rd person narrative. All thoughts are in single quotes and all dialogs are in double quotes.

This story may be considered an AU because in it, Harry has developed a successful counter-curse to the Unforgivable Curses. Other than that, the story does attempt to fully follow the HP canon, though since it does take place three years into the future; this has to be taken into account when considering the character's decisions and actions. A lot of things can happen to people in three years.

I'd like to express my deepest thanks to Harry.Kissed.Ginny for beta-reading this story. She did an exceptional job, in my opinion, and I'm sure you'll agree after reading this story. Thanks HKG.

Description: This story deals with the direction Harry chooses to take with his life now that his quest to destroy Voldemort is over. It also touches on the ghosts of his past and how they affect his decisions. This story will be three or four chapters long, but additional short stories (prequels and sequels) may follow depending on how well this story is received.

This is a Post-Hogwarts-General fic with some Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione on the side.

Chapter One: Homecoming

-

It was Harry's preferred mode of travel, soaring through the cool country air on his Firebolt. 'How long had it been since I rode a broomstick?' Harry wondered. 'Two… no three years.' He realized he hadn't flown since he, Ron, and Hermione set off to find Voldemort's Horcruxes. Two had already been destroyed, three were unaccounted for, and one had cost Dumbledore his life.

After spending all summer studying, and practicing, and preparing, they set off to find and destroy the hidden parts of the Dark Lord's soul.

_The night before the eve of the next term at Hogwarts, Harry stood just outside the front yard of the Burrow staring up at the stars, wondering if he was truly ready for the task he and his friends were about to undertake. Lost in his own thoughts, he did not hear Ginny Weasley walk up behind him. _

"_Knut for your thoughts," she had whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist. If there was one thing he would regret it was leaving Ginny behind, but he knew it was better this way. He never did master Occlumency, and the last thing he would let Voldemort do was use the one he loved against him. Unlike at Dumbledore's funeral, this time Harry was able to tell Ginny how he really felt, through his words and actions, kissing her deeply, lovingly. He told her he did not know how long it would take him to defeat Voldemort, but he would not stop until his task was complete. He made her promise that she would not wait for him, but rather, she would go on with her life and do her best to be happy, even during these dark times. Many tears were shed that night, and to make sure they did not have a repeat in the morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left before anyone else woke up. _

_It was no easy task finding the remaining Horcruxes, but find them they did. The cup of Hufflepuff was locked away in the basement of the orphanage where Tom Riddle was raised. A book written by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, turned out to be the next Horcrux, which they found in the restricted section of Hogwarts library, of all places. Harry had to fight the urge to look for Ginny while they were there. He never even caught a glimpse of her, but she did of him. That left only two more Horcruxes: the locket of Slytherin and Voldemort's snake, Nagini. Ron was convinced the locket was already destroyed but Hermione was convinced otherwise. For Harry's part, he wanted to make sure, before he set out to find and destroy Voldemort, himself. _

_While sneaking a rest at the estate Harry inherited from his godfather, Sirius Black, Ron stumbled and caused a racket, which set off Mrs. Black's portrait on a tirade. She went on and on about the half-bloods, blood-traitors, and Mudbloods in her house. Harry was ready to light the portrait on fire when she cursed Sirius for leaving Harry the Black estate, but Hermione stopped him when a phrase the vile woman said caught her ear. The portrait had called out the name of her younger son, Regulus Black, Regulus __Aemilius__Black, R.A.B. Certain that this was the R.A.B. who had left the cheap substitute locket with the note, Harry began to tear the house apart but with no luck. Finally, during one quiet evening in the kitchen, Hermione suggested that Harry try the Accio charm to summon the locket to him. Since he had seen it before, even if it was just in memories of it, he should still be able to summon it, she reasoned. So Harry tried, and sure enough, the doors the cupboard that Kreacher had called his room, flew open and the locket sailed into Harry's hand. It took all three of them but on the first anniversary of their quest, they managed to destroy the fifth Horcrux. _

_That night, Ron and Hermione each slept more peacefully than they had all year, but not Harry, for now the real danger would begin. Yes, they encountered a few Death Eaters over the past year but nothing too dangerous, nothing too life threatening. This would all change now, now that they would be going after Voldemort himself, and Nagini. Now, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that they would be encountering the full extent of Voldemort's army and they would be living in constant peril each step of the way. Rising from his bed, Harry quietly got dressed and went down to the basement kitchen for some supplies. While there, he wrote a note to Ron and Hermione. Pinning it to the front door, he cast a charm on the house to make it impossible for anyone to leave it for one month once he closed the door behind him. He figured, a month was enough time for him to get far enough along that they would not be able to track him. He hoped they would follow the advice that he wrote in the letter and go home. _

_Later that morning, after his friends found the note, Ron cursed Harry and Hermione wept uncontrollably. Harry knew they would probably never forgive him for leaving them behind, but in his heart he knew he had done the right thing. As he suspected, he spent the next year and a half fighting for his life against countless Death Eaters, werewolves, dementors, giants, and many other dark creatures. Though he took some hellish beatings at times, he always managed to end up on top and grew into a stronger, more capable fighter with each battle. Nevertheless, he was not constantly fighting, one battle after another. No, Harry had his moments of rest and contemplation. In addition, along the way he met some of the most interesting witches and wizards who taught him things he was certain would never be allowed on the curriculum at Hogwarts. _

_After nearly two and a half years since he had set out on his original quest with his two friends, Harry knew he was finally drawing near his goal, for he stopped running into the many dark creatures he had faced until now and instead was facing only Death Eaters. To make matters worse, it was not just any Death Eaters, but those closest to Voldemort. He fought and killed Goyle, Alecto, and Crabbe. He battled the Malfoy family along the Scottish coast and managed to kill them all. His two most satisfying victories occurred shortly afterward. His battle against Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange satisfied Harry's need to avenge his godfather, and his later battle against Snape served to quench his thirst for personal revenge. Though satisfying in that he finally managed to kill the man he hated the most, next to Voldemort, the battle itself was far from satisfying. The last time they met, Snape seemed to toy with Harry. This time, it was Harry who was easily the better fighter. Moreover, though a master of Legilimency and Occlumency, Snape could not stop Harry from invading his mind and learning the truth. That he had deceived Dumbledore from the very start as well as the Dark Lord. Snape only served his own selfish interests, deceiving both powerful wizards while secretly amassing a bounty of spells and potions in the self-deluded hope of overpowering both Dumbledore and Voldemort one day. Seeing Snape's self-glorifying wishes, Harry did not hesitate to use the curse Snape had used on Dumbledore, Avada Kedavra._

_After defeating his worst enemy, no one stood between them, Harry and Voldemort. There were a few minor players who wouldn't stand a chance against Harry, so they didn't even try. Instead of coming out to meet Harry one last time, Voldemort showed himself to be the coward he truly was, and ran. For months, Harry chased after him: along the northern French coast, through the dark forests of Germany, on through Poland, and even into Russia. Finally, Harry caught up with him in Siberia, alone, save for his snake, Nagini, and Wormtail. Harry killed Peter Pettigrew without a second thought, and then proceeded to kill the snake. While upset over the lose of his Horcrux, Voldemort just laughed and told Harry that he would live on even if Harry managed to kill him here in the frozen wasteland. Then Harry told him about the diary he had destroyed in his second year at Hogwarts. This didn't get much of a rise out of the Dark Lord since he already knew Harry had done this. However, when Harry told him of the ring, the cup, the locket, and the book, it was Harry who laughed seeing the genuine fear in Voldemort's eyes. All six parts of his soul were gone and only the fragment of his soul that resided in his body remained. _

_Voldemort began to expatiate about how it was his destiny to rule not only the magical world but the non-magical world as well. How he had no choice but to do what he did. How he was so very sorry for having to kill James and Lily but that it had to be done and how it was really Snape's fault for coming to him with only half a prophecy. How grateful he really was to Harry for killing off that evil traitor, Snape, and how, now that they were together they could rule the world as one. In disgust, Harry dropped his guard for only a moment but it was a moment long enough for Voldemort to launch his attack, Avada Kedavra. However, Harry did what no one had ever learned to do before; not because of the protection his mother provided with her love for him; not because their wands were made from the same phoenix's feathers; but because in the nearly three years of hunting for the Dark Lord, Harry managed to develop a counter-curse to the unforgivable curses, Anapquo Kedavra. Launching his own attack, it only took seconds to end the nine year nightmare that was Voldemort. In the frozen wastelands of northern Siberia, Lord Voldemort lay dead. Killed by the same curse he used to kill Harry's parents. _

_Weeks of investigations followed. Harry answered the same questions over and over again for the Ministry. How could they justify letting someone free who had used the killing curse as many times as Harry had done in his pursuit of Lord Voldemort? Yet, how do you charge the one person who was able to stop all the madness and murder? In the end, the Ministry called Harry a hero and awarded him the Order of Merlin, First Class. The minister himself, Rufus Scrimgeour, offered Harry a position with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he turned the Minister down._

Now, he was flying his broomstick back to the only place he ever considered home, back to the Burrow. The seven-story cottage came into view and Harry's heart leapt. He came in low and slowed down to be plainly seen, not wanting to surprise anyone too much. The first person to come running out of the house, to Harry's surprise, was Hermione. He touched down a few yards from the gate. Hermione didn't even bother opening the gate, but jumped over it instead and ran into Harry's waiting arms.

"Harry!" She hugged him and kissed him with all her might. "Oh, Harry! Is it really you? Is it?"

Harry laughed, "Yes, Hermione, it's me. It's really me." He whirled her around, overjoyed to be holding his friend in his arms. "Here, let me take a look at you." He stepped back and admired the woman Hermione had become. She was taller than he recalled, though not nearly as tall as him, and even more beautiful than he remembered her being. "Goodness, it's so good to set my eyes on you, Hermione Granger," he smiled.

Hermione giggled and held up her hand to show off the ring sitting on her ring finger. "It's Hermione Weasley now." Her eyes sparkled, happily.

"No! Really?" He took her hand and looked at the modestly sized stone. "It's beautiful. I'm so happy for you. Ron is one lucky man." He looked up at her glowing face and thought he had never seen her look so radiant before.

Just then from behind Hermione, a booming voice came, "You bastard!"

They both turned to see Ron Weasley storming towards them.

"Now, Ron, you promised." Hermione positioned herself between the two old friends.

"It's alright, Hermione." Harry gently took her by her arms, and moved her aside. "I've been expecting this."

Ron closed in on Harry, his face almost as red as his hair. "You bastard! You've got some nerve just showing up all of a sudden, unannounced and all."

"Hi Ron, it's been a long time."

"Really, since when? Oh, I remember, since you left us locked in Sirius' old house for a month!" Ron fumed.

"I did it for your own good. And mine. I'd never be able to live with myself if either of you had been seriously injured or worse, killed while hunting down Voldemort." For the first time that Harry could remember, Ron didn't flinch at hearing that name.

"I know that, you prat!" Ron snarled, and then grabbed Harry by the lapels of his robes. "But you could have come back long enough to be my best man at our wedding." He couldn't hold back a smile any longer. "I'm just so glad you're alive." Ron pulled his friend into a tight hug. "You prat, you had us so worried."

Harry hugged Ron back just as fiercely. "I missed you too, Ron."

After several minutes, Hermione whispered softly. "We're not the only ones who've missed you, Harry."

Ron released his friend and stepped aside. Standing next to Hermione was the one person, Harry allowed himself to dream about in those long lonely nights over the past three years. "Ginny." He whispered.

"Hello, Harry," she choked out through her tear stained expression. "I've missed you."

Harry rushed forward, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her deeply, fiercely. She didn't hesitate to reciprocate.

While they kissed, Hermione walked around, took Ron's hand, and led him back to the house. Molly Weasley was just starting to walk out of the house when her youngest son and her favorite daughter-in-law walked up to her steering her back inside.

"Oh god, I've missed you, Ginny," Harry whispered in her ear. "I've missed you so much."

"Not half as much as I've missed you, Harry," She whispered into his chest. "There hasn't been a day these three long years that I haven't cried myself to sleep wondering if you were still alive or not." She tightened her hold on him. "Oh, Harry."

"Oh, Ginny but you promised me. You promised to move on with your life," Harry countered, though he was secretly glad to hear her thoughts were only of him.

"How could I move on to someone else? Who could ever compare to the great Harry Potter." She laughed weakly, and then began to cry.

"Ginny." He kissed her softly. "Don't cry, please don't cry."

"I can't help it," she whispered between tears. "I've missed you so much."

Harry held her tightly in his arms and whispered tender words of reassurance in her ear. At one point, she even laughed softly, and slowly her tears stopped flowing.

For the first time in almost a year, Harry felt hesitant. He knew what he wanted to do, what he wanted to say, but standing here in front of the Burrow, with Ginny in his arms, he was more terrified than when he was facing any number of Death Eaters, werewolves, dementors, giants, or even Voldemort himself. However, he gathered up his courage and said, "Ginny, I know we haven't seen each other in three years, so I'll understand if you'd like to take it slow at first-"

Ginny placed her fingers over Harry's lips. "If you ask me what I think you really want to ask me, the answer will be yes," She smiled.

'Does she truly mean that?' Harry could hardly believe it, himself. 'We only dated a few months and that was three years ago. I told myself so many times over these past two years that if I survived, I'd do this; if I ever saw her face again, I wouldn't allow another day to pass without letting her know how I truly feel. Even if it could never be, I promised myself not to hold back. No regrets, not now, not ever.' Harry drew in a deep breath and stared her squarely in the eyes. "Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"

The words had barely left his lips, when she answered, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" She kissed Harry with all her might. "Yes!" And she kissed him again.

Never before in his life had Harry ever felt so light, so free, and overflowed with joy. He scooped her up in his arms and whirled her around. She laughed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I've never felt this happy before, not even when I've flown on my broomstick." Ginny giggled.

"Why don't we?" Harry laughed.

"Why don't we what?"

Harry smiled then stretched out his hand. "Up!" His Firebolt leapt up into his hand.

"You don't mean both of us on your broom?"

"Yes," he nodded.

She looked stunned for a moment and then smiled. "I think that's a splendid idea." She released him and turned around so her back was facing Harry. They straddled his broomstick and the next moment they were soaring through the air together.

Ginny let out a scream of exhilaration as they streaked off over her home and between a gap in the clouds. Soaring above the clouds now, Harry leveled off and zoomed over the fluffy billows of white.

"Is this as fast as she'll go?" Ginny yelled.

Harry grinned. "Slide back a bit and hold on tight." She did as he said. He leaned into her, pressing his chest against her back to get her to lean into the broom. As if Harry had just kicked on its afterburners, the Firebolt rocketed across the sky like a dark blur.

Ginny screamed again and laughed with joy. "This is fantastic!"

After a few minutes, Harry asked, "What to touch the sun?"

"What?" Ginny cried out in shock.

Suddenly, he pulled hard on the broomstick, pointing its nose upward towards the sun. Ginny closed her eyes to the bright burning orb, enjoying the strange feeling of cold air washing over her body along with the warmth of the sun shining upon her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the great star shining brightly through her eyelids. "Merlin's beard, this is amazing! I almost feel like I could just reach out and touch the sun!"

When it started getting hard for them to breath, Harry leveled off and slowed down. "Want to steer for a bit?"

"Are you serious?"

Harry scooted even closer to Ginny and let go of the broomstick, placing his hands firmly around her waist. "She's all yours!"

Ginny grinned wickedly. She leaned into the broom a bit more and hooked her feet over Harry's calves. She took them into a whirling dive for a few thousand feet before leveling off and banking hard left then right in rapid succession.

They howled and laughed through it all, and before they knew it more than an hour had passed. With a subtle hint of regret, they turned towards the ground and came in for a landing just beyond the front gate.

Ginny hopped off and laughed. "Promise me we'll do that again. Soon, very soon."

"We will. I promise." Harry got off and took her hand. "As often as we can."

They kissed and held each other close for a moment. "Come. Everyone will be thinking we've run off or something." She took his hand and led him into the house.

They all greeted Harry with excitement and anticipation in hopes of hearing of how he defeated Voldemort and his legends of followers.

With everyone sitting around the dinner table, Arthur and Molly served up glasses of honey wine. Then Arthur lifted his glass and announced, "A toast! To Harry Potter! The greatest young wizard of our time," he smiled. "And our friend."

"Here, here!" George, Fred, Bill and Ron shouted in agreement. Then everyone drained their glasses and Arthur set about refilling them, but when he came to Hermione's glass, he saw that it was still full. "Don't you like honey wine, my dear?"

"Yes, I do, very much so, father." She looked over at Ron then over at Harry and then back at Ron.

"Well," Ron spoke up for his wife. "We didn't want to say anything yet, not with Harry arriving today and all."

"Say what, Ron? Is something wrong?" Arthur gave Ron and Hermione a worried look, but Molly smiled knowingly. "I don't think, wrong, is the word they would use, Arthur."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and blushed slightly, but Hermione nodded to his questioning stare and he cleared his throat before continuing. "Well, you see- that is to say- we- well actually, Hermione-"

"Spit it out already!" George snapped impatiently.

"I'm pregnant," Hermione finally blurted out.

Ginny and Fleur leapt from their seats and hugged Hermione tightly.

"That's wonderful!" Ginny smiled happily.

"Congratuu-lasions," Fleur added and kissed the mother-to-be on the cheek.

"Thank you. Thank you," she said to each of her sister-in-laws.

Everyone else cheered and applauded. Ron's brothers each took turns slapping him on the back and ruffling his hair, while their father leaned far over the table and shook his hand fiercely. Hermione stood up and leaned over to accept a kiss on the cheek from her father-in-law as well.

Molly rushed around the table and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "Oh, my dear! I'm so happy for you!" She kissed her daughter-in-law on each cheek and hugged her tightly again. Then she turned to her son and pulled him up from his chair. "My boy! My baby boy! He is going to be a father!" She squeezed him so tightly; his face began to turn purple.

"Easy Mum," Fred patted her on the arm. "You're going to squeeze the life out of him before the baby's even born."

"Oh, yes." She let Ron go and he collapsed into his chair with a thud.

Flushed with embarrassment, Molly darted into the kitchen muttering something about making Hermione a special tea to help with the pregnancy.

Harry finally stood up and made his way over to his two best friends. "I'm so happy for the both of you." He hugged and kissed Hermione, then took Ron's hand as if to shake but pulled him into a hug instead. "Congratulations, congratulations."

"You will be our child's godfather, won't you? I mean, since you weren't here to be my best man and all," Ron smirked, then glanced at Hermione and his expression turned very serious. "There really is no one else we'd want."

"Of course, I'd be honored." Harry smiled at his two friends and hugged both of them again.

All conversion shifted from Harry's adventures to Ron and Hermione's expected child, which was just fine with Harry. Though he was never one to seek the limelight, it always seemed to find him nonetheless. He reached over and looked at Ginny who was sitting next to him, took her hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Ginny leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Let's wait until tomorrow to tell everyone."

Harry smiled thankfully and nodded. She smiled back and kissed him upon the cheek, which went unnoticed by everyone except Fleur who was doing her best to ignore all the fuss over Hermione's pregnancy.

As the conversation died down, Arthur turned to Harry and said, "We'll have to throw a party in your honor tomorrow and invite all your friends. Remus and Nymphadora will want to come and see you. And Alastor too, as well as Kingsley, of course. Perhaps some of your teachers from Hogwarts. I'm sure they would love to hear the tales of their most famous student." Arthur gleamed proudly. "Give me a list of your friends as well. I'll be sure to invite all of them."

Harry sighed silently but nodded with a forced smile.

"Are you alright, Harry dear?" Molly asked while setting another cup of tea in front of Hermione.

"I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, just a bit tired, that's all," Harry replied.

"Of course you are dear. Why don't you get some sleep? You can use George and Fred's old room," Molly offered.

Looking over at the twins, Harry replied, "Well, I wouldn't want to put anyone out."

"Don't worry about it," said George.

"We never spend the night anymore," added Fred.

"We'll just Apparate back to our apartment over our shop," George explained.

"Mum's fixed up our old room as a guest room anyway. Only one bed now," Fred finished.

"Well," Harry stood up and looked around the table. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. Goodnight everyone." He nodded towards everyone, then turned towards Ginny, and lightly stroked her cheek with the back of his finger, giving her one last smile. Then he headed up the stairs and disappeared.

Everyone sat quietly around the table for a few more minutes until Arthur suggested, "Let's retire to the lounge, shall we?" Everyone agreed and headed over to the well lived in living room.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat on the sofa. Hermione pulled out her knitting which was in a bag next to the sofa and began magically knitting.

"Is that for the baby, dear?" Molly asked, sitting down in the small chair next to her husband.

"No," Hermione smiled. "I still have plenty of time for that. I promised Ron I'd make him a pair of fingerless mitts. He says it gets frightfully cold in the office at times."

"That it does," Arthur agreed. "Would you mind making me a pair as well, dear?"

"Not at all, father." Hermione reached down into her bag and pulled out three skeins of yarn. "Which color would you prefer?"

"The green would be nice," Arthur answered.

"I thought you preferred, maroon." Molly frowned.

"Well… I do dear, normally. But it doesn't hurt to change things up a bit, now and again," her husband answered nervously.

Hermione struggled to hide a grin. Turning away from her in-laws, she noticed the vacant look on Ginny's face. "Ginny?"

The youngest of the Weasley children continued to stare off with unfocused eyes.

Ron reached over and flicked her ear. "Ginny, Hermione called you."

"Ouch!" Ginny Weasley rubbed her ear, giving her brother an evil stare before looking over at her sister-in-law. "What is it?"

"Perhaps you should take Harry up a cup of tea, to help him sleep." Hermione flashed Ginny a knowing smile.

Ginny tried not to smile too broadly. "That's a splendid idea." However, before she could stand up, Ron got to his feet. "All right, I'll get to it," He groaned, expecting Hermione would insist on him doing it.

Ginny was about to protest, but fortunately, Hermione grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him back down onto the sofa. "You can hold this for me." She thrust the ball of yarn into Ron's hands.

Ginny smiled and went to the kitchen to make the tea.

"What do you need me to hold this for?" Ron protested, but Hermione simply answered, "Because" and swung her legs over his to keep him from moving.

Fleur giggled. "He is quite denze, no?"

"Yes, he is," Hermione answered. "But I love him anyway." She leaned forward to kiss Ron on the cheek. Everyone had a good laugh at Ron's expense, who was still at a loss for what they were laughing at.

-

Harry stood by the window with his shirt in his hand, staring up at the stars wondering if the nightmares would continue or would he finally be rid of them now that he was safe, at a place he could call home for at least a little while.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said without thinking.

Ginny walked in carrying a cup of tea. "I thought you might like some tea, to help you sleep," she said cheerfully before a crash signaled to Harry she had dropped what she was carrying. "Oh my god!" She put her hands over her mouth.

Harry looked at her then down at the large angry scar that covered both the front and the back of his right shoulder. "Oh, sorry." He said softly and started putting his shirt back on then pulled out his wand. Walking over to Ginny, he repaired the cup, channeled most of the tea back into it, and then levitated it up to his hand. "Sorry about that." He set the cup on the dresser.

"No, I'm sorry." Ginny reached out and took his hand. "I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"It's natural," Harry assured her. "It's not everyday someone almost has his arm torn off by a giant."

"My lord!" She reached out and gently placed her hand upon his shoulder. "Does, it hurt?"

"No." He shook his head and smiled. "Not anymore."

Ginny pulled at Harry's shirt until it slid off his shoulders and fell to the floor. She ran her hand over his scar and for the first time took a long, honest look at him. On the left side of his forehead along the hairline was a long jagged scar.

"A Death Eater struck me with a curse. He nearly killed me," Harry told her.

She ran her hand down to a scar over his right cheekbone.

"Draco Malfoy stabbed me with an enchanted knife. It cut to the bone and wouldn't heal for nearly two months. I was fortunate enough to encounter a witch with amazing healing abilities. It's a miracle all that remains of that wound is this small line and a slight dimple. Unusual place for a dimple though." Harry tried to laugh to lighten the mood but Ginny's expression remained unchanged.

Her hand then went down to his left jaw line where a long scar ran from the side of his chin to just below his ear.

"Bellatrix Lestrange missed my throat by about an inch." Harry gave up any pretense of humor.

Ginny's hand returned to the scar that covered his entire right shoulder.

"Golmomath and two of his minions," Harry said darkly. "They nearly tore my arm off. I managed to break off the portion of the cliff we were standing on and they fell to their deaths on the jagged rocks below." Harry placed his hand over Ginny's. "There's something I have to tell you about my recovery from this injury." He drew her over to the bed and they both sat down. "We fought over the cliffs of Normandy. After the giants fell to their death, I lay bleeding for what felt like hours. I wasn't sure if I would die from loss of blood or from the sheer pain I was experiencing. Fortunately, a young witch happened my way. She stopped the bleeding and took me to her home to treat my wounds. My recovery seemed slow but considering the extent of my injury I suppose it was actually quite fast. Her name was Violeta Seduciuous." Harry struggled to maintain eye contact. You see, she was half-Veela."

Ginny started to draw her hand from his but Harry held it tight. "In my weakened state, she used her powers upon me." He looked away for a moment then looked back into Ginny's eyes. "But as I grew stronger, my ability to resist her Veela Magic increased. Eventually, though not entirely healed, I managed to walk away and continue my quest. It wasn't my need to kill Voldemort that enabled me to leave that house; it was the vision of you in my arms that empowered me to finally overcome her spell."

Ginny's eyes were watery and a few tears escaped running down her cheeks. "Did you make love to her?"

"Yes," Harry whispered.

Fighting back the tears, Ginny asked, "Did you love her?"

"No, never," he said without hesitation.

Ginny slowly moved closer to Harry and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head upon his damaged shoulder. "Do you have nightmares?" she whispered.

This time Harry did hesitate but only for a moment. "Yes."

"How often? For how long now?"

"Every time I sleep. For well over a year."

Sitting up straight, Ginny gently pushed Harry down onto the bed, and then slid in next to him, nuzzled under his arm, and laying her head upon his chest.

"Ginny, what are you doing?"

"Let me chase away the nightmares, at least for tonight."

Harry glanced towards the bedroom door. "But your parents--"

"They'll understand; I'm sure."

Harry wasn't so sure, but exhaustion was coming on fast and he was in no mind to argue.

"You know, I think it's a good thing that you've done it already. Honestly," Ginny whispered unconvincingly. "This way, at least one of us will have had some experience going into our wedding night; takes some of the awkwardness out of it."

Harry tightened his grip on her. "I love you so much," he said softly into her hair. Closing his eyes, he inhaled. 'Spring flowers, she still smells of spring flowers. Perhaps she can chase away my nightmares.'

"I love you, Harry Potter. I always have and I always will." Ginny lifted her head to look up at him. Harry looked down into her sparkling brown eyes, and then craned his neck to draw closer to her. She inched up a bit and kissed him, sweetly, lovingly.

Setting back down, they both fell asleep in less than a minute.

About an hour later, the door to the bedroom opened, as Arthur and Molly poked their heads in. "See, I told you. Quite innocent. Harry is a gentleman, through and through." Molly whispered confidently.

"Yes, yes, his is, isn't he?" Arthur grudgingly agreed. "But he is without his shirt, isn't he?"

"Oh Arthur." Molly pulled the door closed.

"Why do you suppose she… well, you know?" Arthur sputtered.

"After two years of hunting and being hunted by evil, don't you think the young man might be haunted by more than a few nightmares?" Molly reasoned.

Arthur thought about it for a moment, remembering his own restlessness that lasted for months after being attacked by Voldemort's snake. "I-I hadn't thought of that." He looked sadly at the bedroom door. "I can't even begin to imagine the horrors that boy must has seen and experience these past two years."

Molly wrapped herself around Arthur's arm and smiled up at him. "You needn't worry. Our Ginny will heal his wounded soul."

Arthur looked down at his wife, running his free hand lightly over her cheek. "Yes, I suppose you are right. After all, she is your daughter."

"Our daughter."

Arthur smiled. "Yes, our daughter." He leaned down and kissed his wife then led the way to their bedroom.

-

-

(To Be Continued)

-

-


	2. Chapter 2: Nightmare & Catching Up

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.

Title: Harry Potter: On with My Life

Chapter 2: Nightmare that won't go away… Catching up

_Harry stood in the cold darkness. Sweat poured down his face and fear gripped his soul. Round and round he turned, pointing his wand at every hint of sound that echoed in the blackness. _

"_Who's there?" he shouted, "Show yourselves!"_

_The sounds got louder but still he could see nothing beyond the small sphere of light created by his wand._

_Suddenly, there was a flash of light and bearing down upon him was Golmomath. Harry pointed his wand at the giant's throat, and shouted, "Sectum!" Slicing the giant's throat wide open and sending a river of blood flowing from it. The goliath slapped his hand over the massive gash but to no avail. He staggered back and collapsed out of sight in the darkness. Gradually, the groans and grunts emanating from the giant faded away, and were quickly replaced by sounds that reminded Harry of the Dark Forest. _

'_Forest? Then there must be a way out.' Harry turned and began to run, stumbling through the darkness, desperately trying to find his way out of the darkness and into the light. Without warning, Greyback jumped upon him, sending Harry to the ground, and knocking away his wand. It fell only inches from his hand but Harry dared not take his hold from the werewolf's neck. Greyback snarled and growled at Harry. He spraying Harry's face with his spit, and sank his claws into Harry's shoulders, causing the young man to scream in agony. Still, Harry kept his hands on the creature's throat, trying to choke the life out of him. It was working. Greyback began to cough and tried to pull away, but Harry held on. The werewolf grew weak, and with little effort, Harry was able to roll him over so now he was on top of the beast, his hands still held tight around the werewolf's neck._

_When it seemed the werewolf had stopped breathing, Harry gave two more tight squeezes then got up and retrieved his wand. Walking back over the creature, he pointed his wand at its chest and silently cast a spell that send a stream of silver through its heart. Greyback's eyes flashed open then rolled back in his head. Harry stood over the beast a moment longer as he transformed back into his human form._

_Harry continued to stare down at him a while longer until noises in the darkness reminded him of his present situation. He turned and began running, searching, and hoping to find some way out from the impenetrable shadows._

_After covering some distance, another flash of light erupted in front of him, and three Death Eaters appeared before him. A dark wizarding family Harry was all too familiar with, Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy each with their wands raised. In unison they attacked, "Avada Kedavra."_

_Harry swirled his wand and shouted, "Anapquo Kedavra!"_

_The three streams of green light streaked towards Harry. When they got within two feet of him it was as if they had hit an invisible wall which flashed orange for an instant. Both colors swirled around several times before sailing off into the air._

_Then Harry launched his own attack, "Sectumsempra!" And he proceeded to slice all three Malfoys to ribbons. They howled in agony as their blood drenched the ground where they stood. Harry continued his attack until all three fell upon their knees and pleaded for mercy, but Harry gave none, making one final slash on each of them, striking a major artery on each, and causing them to bleed out entirely._

_Filled with a mixture of horror and satisfaction, Harry stumbled away, treading through the dark once again. This time it did not take long before there was another flash of light. He heard the attack before he saw his attacker. "Crucio!"_

_The curse struck Harry squarely upon the chest and he fell to the ground writhing in pain._

"_Beg Harry Potter." Bellatrix Lestrange stepped into Harry's field of vision. "Beg for me to kill you."_

_Though in agony, Harry managed to raise his wand just enough and he whispered through clenched teeth, "Anapquo Kedavra." He was engulfed in an orange light that swirled around him then sailed up into the sky. _

_Bellatrix stared in shock, "Impossible." _

_Harry sprang to his feet and returned the favor. "Crucio!" The curse struck the witch and she collapsed, releasing screams of pain and begging for mercy. Harry just watched her for a few minutes then walked away._

_Bellatrix's screams continued to echo in the blackness, but Harry did not stop. Eventually, the screams faded away, leaving him with a great sense of satisfaction._

_Again, a flash of light and Harry's former Potions Master stood before him. "How very dark and cruel you've become, Potter. A match for any Death Eater, truly." _

"_A match for you, that's for certain." Harry raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" They said it at nearly the same instance, but Harry's attack reached his target first, killing Snape instantly. The Chosen One threw himself aside to avoid Snape's attack. Lifting himself off the ground, he walked over Severus' motionless body and gave it a shove. "That's for Albus Dumbledore, you vile thing." He hissed and then went on in his pursuit for a way out._

_After wandering for what felt like hours, Harry saw far off in the distance a dim glowing light, but a light nonetheless. He began to run towards it and as he had hoped, the closer he got the more the darkness was chased away. Slowly, he was able to make out what was in the midst of the light. A tree, black and lifeless stood in the middle of the light, and something else, but what he could not tell just yet._

_The tree stood upon a shallow mound and the light was cast all around it. As he ascended the mound, Harry passed the lifeless body of Golmomath lying in a pool of his own blood. A short distance away, he could make out, off to his right, the still body of Greyback. Harry paused for only a moment, and then continued his trek up the mound. _

_Drawing closer he could make out the form of a person hanging from the largest branch of the tree, but they were turned away from him and were dressed in long black robes. From the length of the person's hair and the size of the body, he assumed it was a woman. The hair was matted and dark with dirt and oil._

_Harry began running up the mound, stopping only momentarily when he noticed three forms lying along the left side of the tree. He instantly recognized them as the Malfoys. Reaching the top of the mound and standing inches from the body, which hung perfectly still, he was able to make out two more bodies lying on the opposite side of the mound, Bellatrix and Severus. He took a moment to stare at Bellatrix, seeing that her body finally succumbed to the torture. _

_Suddenly, though there was no wind blowing or any other force to cause it, the body hanging from the tree began to turn. Harry took a step back to get a clear look at the person's face. His heart stopped and his breath rushed out of his body. He whispered weakly, "Ginny." Tears streamed down his face. Harry raised his wand and cut the rope, then gently levitated her down into his arms. _

"_Ginny. Don't be dead. Please, Ginny." He pulled the rope from around her neck and searched for a pulse without success. "Ginny… Ginny…" _

_Almost instantly, Harry's sadness turned into hatred. His nostrils flared and his eyes burned red with rage. Setting Ginny's body down, Harry stood up and howled at the top of his lungs. _

"_VOLDEMORT! Come out you coward! I know this was your doing! Come out and face me!" _

_He turned from side to side, sending deadly green blasts from his wand everywhere he turned. _

"_VOLDEMORT! Face me now!" He continued to shoot deadly blasts from his wand._

"_As you wish," a calm, even voice echoed in the darkness. Slowly, from behind the tree, appeared the Dark Lord. "Do you really think you are stronger than me, Harry Potter?" he snarled._

_However, Harry was in no mood to talk. "Crucio!" _

_Voldemort was thrown back against the tree where he screamed in pain. After a long agonizing minute, Harry released him and the Dark Lord fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "You've learned how to be truly cruel, Harry." Voldemort smiled wickedly up at Harry. "But not cruel enough." He pointed his wand at Harry and shouted, "Avada Kedavra."_

_Anticipating his attack, Harry had already raised his wand and performed his now customary swirl, "Anapquo Kedavra." As with every other deadly attack against him, Harry's counter-curse caught the deadly green light in a swirling wash of orange light and sent it flying harmlessly up into the air where it slowly dissipated high in the sky._

_Voldemort stared at Harry with a look of total disbelief. "How?" But Harry had no desire to explain anything. He simply pointed his wand at Voldemort and said, "Avada Kedavra." The Dark Lord flew ten feet up into the air and struck the tree hard, then collapsed to the ground: dead. Harry walked over to the fallen dark wizard, lifted his foot, and nudged him in the head a couple of times to see if there was any life left in him. _

_Seeing no signs of life, Harry walked back over to Ginny and knelt down beside her. He let his wand fall to the ground and lifted her up in his arms. The rage had left him completely and the sadness returned like a tsunami. His eyes welled up and his hot tears fell upon her cold cheek. "Ginny… I'm sorry. I wasn't able to protect you. I wasn't able to save you."_

"_You weren't able to save any of us."_

_Harry's head shot up. "Ginny?"_

_Though her skin was still cold and pale, Ginny Weasley opened her eyes, but they weren't her eyes. They were dead eyes, like a doll's eyes, lifeless and cold. She tilted her head and fixed her gaze on Harry, though it seemed more like she was looking through him. "Why did you kill us, Harry?"_

"_What?"_

"_Why did you kill the people who love you the most?" she asked again._

_Harry shook his head, "I don't know what you mean. I didn't kill…" But his words died in his throat, when he saw the body laying to his right wasn't Greyback any more but Remus Lupin instead. He turned around slightly and looked behind him. To his horror instead of seeing Golmomath lying in a pool of his own blood, it was Hagrid with his throat sliced open._

"_No," Harry's voice quivered. "No, it's not possible." He turned to his left and instead of seeing the Malfoys, he saw Arthur and Molly Weasley and their youngest son, Harry's best mate, Ron. _

"_This isn't possible," he hissed through clenched teeth. He looked out in front of him. There down the slope of the mound he saw Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom where Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape should have been. "How? How?" He turned and looked at where Voldemort should have been but instead he saw himself. "No, this can't be. It can't…" _

"_Why did you do this to us, Harry? Why did you kill us?" Ginny whispered. "Why did you kill me, Harry? Why did you kill me…"_

"_No, Ginny. I didn't, I swear, I didn't. I… I…" Harry froze when he realized his voice was not his own. Horrified, he raised his hand and stared at his long thin fingers. "No!" He ran his hand over the top of his head and felt no hair, then brought it down over his face. "NO!" _

"Harry! Harry!"

He felt himself being shaken roughly.

"Harry! Wake up! Harry!"

His eyes shot open, unfocused and confused. It took him a moment to realize where he was and who he was with. "Ginny?"

"Yes Harry. It's me. I'm here for you." Ginny caressed his cheek and wiped away his tears. "It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real."

"Ginny. Ginny." He sat up quickly and she sat up with him. Harry looked around the room, making sure he was where he thought he was. "The Burrow."

"Yes Harry, you're home." She cradled his face in her hands. "Everything's all right. You're safe; we're all safe, thanks to you."

He took several deep steadying breaths and nodded his understanding.

There was a soft knock at the door and a moment later, it creaked open. Molly Weasley poked her head in. "Is everything all right?" Her concern was evident in her tone.

Ginny looked to Harry for his answer. He gave her a subtle nod and she turned to her mother. "Everything is fine, Mum."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Well, it is still too early to be up; I'll make you each some hot chocolate to settle your nerves."

"Thank you, Mum." And the door closed.

Ginny stared up into Harry's eyes a few moments, then leaned in and rested her head against his arm. Harry couldn't get himself to look at her, his heart still filled with guilt and shame despite the fact that he knew what he had just dreamt was not real. However, he did manage to raise his hand and began to gently stroke her long, soft hair.

After about a minute, Ginny whispered, "You know, if you talk about it, it may help you feel better."

Harry's hand stopped stoking her hair for only a moment.

Sensing his hesitation, she added, "When you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here for you, ready to listen. Whether today, tomorrow, or ten years from now."

Harry began running his hand through her hair again. "Thank you, Ginny."

She waited a moment longer to see if he was going to say anything else. When he didn't, she took in a deep breath and stood up. Harry gave her a questioning look. "I'm just going to help Mum with the hot chocolate. I'll be right back."

Harry nodded and watched her walk out of the room. Sliding over to the edge of the bed, he swung his legs over the side and rested his elbows on his knees. Staring at the far wall, flashes of his nightmare streamed though his mind. Pressing his face into his palms, he whimpered, "Why hasn't it stopped? It's over now. Why hasn't it stopped?"

XXXXX

Reaching the ground floor, Ginny turned the corner and walked into the kitchen.

"It'll be just another minute dear," Molly told her daughter.

The young woman stared at her mother, her eyes filled with sadness and pain. "I wasn't able to help him, Mum. I couldn't chase the nightmares away."

Molly turned and hugged her daughter. Ginny prided herself on being a strong person. Inner-strength was one of the qualities she admired most in the people who were her personal heroes: her mother, her eldest brother, Bill, and of course, Harry.

She remembered clearly the last time she cried aloud. It was after Harry had saved her from Tom Riddle and the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. She was horrified by the things Riddle had made her do and was certain she was going to be thrown out of school because of them. She never wanted to hurt anyone, and she'd wanted to attend Hogwarts for as long as she could remember. When Bill had come home after his first year and went on and on with stories about that magical place called Hogwarts. She was not quite two at the time but she knew even then that attending Hogwarts would be the most important thing she would ever do in her life. The thought of being expelled was too much for her fragile young mind to bear and she broke down in inconsolable tears. Later, she hated herself for crying like a baby in front of the boy she grew up admiring even more than her father and her eldest brother.

While she was unconscious during Harry's battle with the basilisk and Riddle, and did not really know what happened, she imagined later that he faced both without an ounce of fear. She swore to herself, she would never cry like that ever again, and she hadn't. While she did shed tears at Dumbledore's funeral, and on the last night she and Harry were together before he left for his quest. As well as every night since, fearing and praying for his safe return, her tears were silent ones. Tears no one else had ever seen. Not even her mother, whom she shared her deepest, most treasured feelings with when rumors of Harry's death would reach her, saw her cry.

Now, now that Harry was back in her life. The reality of the pain and the suffering he must have gone through and the nightmares, her mother warned her would come, struck her harder than she ever thought they would. She imagined that in her arms, Harry's mind would be at peace. She imagined all that had haunted Harry since he learned who he really was, and about Voldemort, and how their lives were intertwined together would all just melt away when he was with her. She imagined…

"Shhh, there, there." Mrs. Weasley patted the girl gently on the back. "What did you expect? To chase away three years of bad memories in one night? This is going to take time, my dear. Remember how your father was after You-Know-Who's snake attacked him? Remember Fred and George as well. Remember how long it took them to get over their attack."

Ginny pulled back a bit and wiped her eyes while nodding.

Molly pulled out a handkerchief and helped her daughter wipe away her tears. "Harry lived in constant peril for nearly three years, fighting the worst in dark wizardry."

Ginny nodded.

"It's going to take time, a long time." Molly put her hands on each side of Ginny's face and forced her to look into her eyes. "If you truly love him, you have to be prepared for the very worst. It may be that the Harry Potter we once knew may never come back to us. His wounds run deep. If you're not strong enough to tend to his wounds without tears in your eyes, you'll be doing more harm to that boy than good."

Ginny stared at her mother for a moment, steeling herself she took a deep breath and said, "I'll be strong for him. I have to be. I love him."

Molly smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "That's my girl." She turned to the stove and pulled out the spoon that was magically stirring the pot of hot chocolate. Pulling out her wand, she caused two mugs to appear and the pot to rise, and pour out its content into them. She picked them up and handed them to her daughter. "Here, this will help you both."

"Thank you Mum." Ginny took the mugs and kissed her mother's cheek. "For everything."

Molly smiled, "Go now."

Ginny nodded and then headed back up the stairs.

Molly Weasley watched her daughter disappear up the stairs before turning away and wiping her own eyes dry with her handkerchief.

XXXXX

Walking back into the bedroom, Ginny found Harry standing by the window, staring up at the stars, just as he had been when she first walked in on him. Pushing the door closed with her foot, she gave a small laugh. "See, I'm getting better."

Harry gave her a questioning look at first, but smiled his understanding when she lifted the mugs slightly and gestured towards the cup of tea on the dresser. She walked over to him and handed him one of the mugs. "Thank you," he said and took a sip. "It's good."

Ginny took a sip as well and nodded. "My mum makes the best hot chocolate." She took his hand and wrapped it around her waist so she could lean up next to him but she moved back slightly when her bare arm touched his side. "You're freezing."

"Am I?"

"Don't you feel cold?" She set her mug down on the windowsill and walked over to the dresser.

"It's all right Ginny. I feel fine." Harry tried to assure her, but she continued search through each drawer. They were either empty or filled with hand towels, but in the bottom drawer, Ginny found one of George's old t-shirts. She walked up to Harry. "Here you go, put this on."

"I'm fine, Ginny, really."

"No, you're not. You're cold. You'll catch a cold." She lifted the shirt to put it over Harry's head.

"I've been much colder, trust me." Harry smiled down at her.

She hesitated a moment, then whispered, "Please, Harry, let me take care of you."

Harry looked at Ginny for a moment, and then he set his mug next to hers on the sill and bent over slightly so she could pull the shirt over his head. She helped him pull the shirt on the rest of the way, then she handed him back his mug and picked up hers as well. "Drink, before it gets cold."

Harry nodded and took a long slow drink. When they were finished, Ginny placed the mugs on the dresser next to the cup of tea. She lay back down on the bed and patted the mattress next to her. Harry smiled down at her and shook his head. "When did you become so bold, Miss Weasley?"

"You'll be surprise just how bold I can be, Mister Potter." Ginny smiled wickedly up at the young man.

They just stared at each other for a moment before they broke into quiet laughter. After they settled down, Ginny patted the mattress once again. "Come, its still night time, and you need your rest."

Harry nodded, and then got in bed next to her, sliding his arm under her head and wrapping his other arm around her waist. "Thank you, Ginny."

She looked into his eyes. "For what?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "For taking care of me."

Ginny pulled her arms around his waist, then kissed him back and smiled. "Get used to it."

A minute later, they were fast asleep.

XXXXX

In the morning, Molly and Hermione prepared a massive breakfast and Ginny force-fed Harry until he was about to burst. Harry made a quick list of people to invite to that evening's party. Ginny kept glancing at the list to make sure the name, Violeta Seduciuous, didn't appear. Harry smiled to himself each time he caught her stealing a look at the list. Ginny smiled happily when Harry handed the list to her father and that name was not on it.

"I'm sure most of them won't be able to make it. In fact, the owls probably won't be able to reach them in time for it anyway, but at least they'll know I haven't forgotten about them," Harry added.

"Not to worry. I'll simply use express owls." Arthur took a quick glance at the list then folded it and placed it in his pocket.

"Express owls?"

"Oh, yes, latest thing, owls that can Apparate. Makes long distance messaging seem like it's just going around the corner," Arthur explained.

"Apparating Owls? You must be joking," Harry said in disbelief.

"Not at all. I'm completely serious. Developed by the Ministry. Very hush, hush. Currently, the Ministry is the only ones that have them, but I'm sure in time they'll be everywhere. Takes some very exceptional owls to do it, you know," Mister Weasley went on.

"Arthur, you're going to be late for work," Molly informed him as she picked up the dishes from the table.

"Oh, right. Come along, Ron." The elder Weasley downed the last of his coffee then stood up, and grabbed his coat and briefcase. Walking over to his wife, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then turned back to Harry. "I'll be sure to send off the owls, first thing. Be sure to get plenty of rest. You're in for a full night." He smiled then walked out the back door and Apparated away.

Ron kissed his wife good-bye and followed his dad. Fred and George stayed around a bit longer until they finished their breakfast before deciding it was time to go open the shop. They said their good-byes and walked out the back door as well, to Apparate to Diagon Alley.

While Molly was finishing up the breakfast dishes, Fleur arrived. Together the two women left for Diagon Alley to shop for that evening's party. Meanwhile, Harry, Ginny and Hermione went and sat in the lounge together to catch up on old times.

"So what did you and Ron do at Grimmauld Place for a month, till you were able to leave?" Harry asked.

Ginny failed poorly at trying to stop her laughter. "What do you think they were doing?"

Harry looked over at Ginny and raised his eyebrow high when he turned his stare back over at Hermione.

"It wasn't like that. We talked mostly, and tried to escape, of course." Hermione countered.

"And snogged." Ginny teased.

"We did not!" Hermione exclaimed. "Well, not much at least," she added with a whisper.

Ginny and Harry laughed. "I knew it." Ginny clapped and pressed her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"You mean Ron didn't tell you… but how did you know?" Hermione turned bright red.

"Of course not," Ginny admitted. "Whenever I'd bring it up, he always told me to piss off."

"Oh, Ginny, you're terrible." The young mother-to-be crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

Harry patted Ginny on the knee and flashed her a look, then cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "So what did you and Ron do after you were finally able to leave Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked.

Hermione checked the glove she was knitting for her father-in-law before allowing her knitting needles to continue. "We spent three weeks looking for you."

"But I told you both to go home. Didn't you find my letter?"

"Of course we did, but you didn't actually expect us to just abandon you and head home, did you?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "Well, yes, I did."

Hermione laughed softly. "Ron was convinced that your letter was actually a plea for help. That you really meant for us to chase after you. He was certain you'd left clues for us to follow."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. Ginny laughed silently and ran her hand through his hair. "Sounds like my brother."

"You didn't believe that, did you, Hermione?" Harry wanted to know that his letter did not come across that way.

"Well…" Hermione looked away for a moment. "You have to understand, Harry. After searching for the Horcruxes for the past year with you, well he felt… we thought we were ready for anything. We wanted to help you, to be by your side when you faced Voldemort." She looked away again. "But when we couldn't find even the smallest clue as to your whereabouts, not even a hint of a clue, it became obvious that you truly meant to go off on your own. So in the end we returned home. Just like you wanted us to," she added sadly.

Harry drew a deep breath. "Trust me, Hermione; it was for the best, truly."

They sat silently for a few moments before Harry asked, "So what did you do after that?"

"Well, we went back to school, of course." Hermione smiled.

"To Hogwarts?"

She nodded. "It took a little convincing to get Ron to go but he finally came around."

Turning towards Ginny, he smiled. "So you were classmates then?"

Ginny smiled back and nodded.

"So who was your Transfiguration teacher now that McGonagall was the Head Mistress?" Harry asked.

Both Ginny and Hermione giggled.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

Ginny shook her head. "It's just, it was as if the problem Dumbledore had with keeping a teacher for Defense against the Dark Arts was added to McGonagall for Transfiguration as well. In my sixth year, there was a Professor Susan Wellsbury. She was supposed to be a master at transfiguration but she was worse than Ron ever was."

"Ginny," Hermione snapped.

"Oh, don't try to defend him; you know he was never any good at transfiguration," Ron's sister replied.

Hermione fought the urge to grin, but it was no use. "Well, all right, but don't tell Ron I said so."

They all laughed.

"So, then in our seventh year, McGonagall brought in another teacher, a Professor Lucifer Lowlike," Ginny went on.

"Everyone called him, Professor Lowlife." Hermione snickered.

"You were the one who started that." Ginny pointed out.

Harry looked from his girlfriend to his best friend in disbelief. "She's joking, isn't she?"

Hermione turned bright red. "Well, you had to be there. He was the worst teacher ever. Besides, it was just a slip of the tongue on my part. Ginny was the one who got everyone calling him that."

"Worse than Lockhart? Worse than Umbridge? That I find difficult to believe," Harry replied.

"Believe it," Ginny said.

"To be honest, he was amazing at his transfigurations, perhaps even better than McGonagall, but he hadn't the faintest idea of how to convey that knowledge to anyone. Halfway through the second term, it was obvious that everyone was in serious trouble, especially the fifth years and the seventh years. With OWLS and NEWTS approaching, no one was ready for exams. So that's when…"

"When what?"

"That's when Hermione took over the class." Ginny answered.

"I didn't take over the class. I merely offered my assistance, that's all." Hermione corrected.

"Offering your assistance? Is that what you're calling it?" Ginny smiled sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, someone needs to explain this to me." Harry laughed.

"Well, you see-" Ginny started.

" i _I'll /i _explain it, if you don't mind. After all, Harry deserves to hear the truth, not some fabricated fairy tale," Hermione insisted.

"Are you calling me a storyteller, _Professor Granger_?" Ginny asked in mock anger.

"After the way you told our parents the story, yes," Hermione replied in all seriousness. Then she turned and explained to Harry how in the middle of one Transfiguration class, Professor Lowlike was berating the class for not being able to properly change a role of parchment into an owl. Hermione raised her hand and told him that perhaps if he spent more time explaining the correct method of performing the transfiguration rather then yelling at the class, that then they might be able to get it. To which the professor responded, "If you think teaching this collection of misfits is so easy, why don't you do it, _Miss Granger__?"_ With Hermione's instruction, everyone had successfully changed their parchment into an owl by the end of class. Afterwards, every student went to the Head Mistress and pleaded that Lowlike be replaced by Hermione. McGonagall came up with the compromise with Lowlike remaining as the teacher, planning class assignments and grading tests, and Hermione would be his assistant, teaching his classes and grading all homework assignments. The workload on Hermione was incredible but she managed to pull it off, along with getting private transfiguration lessons from McGonagall.

At the end of the term, Professor McGonagall offered the Transfiguration position to Hermione, which she graciously accepted, and last year was her first full year as a professor at Hogwarts.

"So you're Professor Weasley then?" Harry laughed. "That's fantastic."

"Actually, it's Professor Granger."

"But why?" Harry didn't understand.

"Well, I just thought it would be easier if there weren't two Professor Weasleys at Hogwarts." She smiled.

"Two Professor Weasleys?" Harry looked confused, and then his eyes went wide with shock. "You don't mean Ron is a professor as well? No wait, I thought he worked with his dad at the Ministry?"

Ginny struggled to hide a grin. "It's not Ron."

Harry looked confused again. "Well, it's not Bill. He works at the Ministry as well. Charlie?"

"No, not Charlie." Hermione smirked and stole a glance at Ginny.

"Then who?" Harry's voice rumbled with his impatience.

"Me, silly." Ginny smacked him lightly on the arm.

"You?"

The redhead narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't look so surprised."

"Sorry, it's just… well… what will you be teaching?" Harry tried to recover.

"You're looking at the new Charms teacher at Hogwarts." Ginny could not suppress a giggled and she pressed her fingers over her lips.

"Charms? What happened to Professor Flitwick?"

"He retired at the end of last year." Hermione informed him. "Flitwick's been grooming Ginny to take his place ever since the beginning of her sixth year."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, apparently he'd been considering retirement for some time and after Dumbledore's murder…" Hermione began to explain.

"But McGonagall persuaded him to stay on until she could find a suitable replacement. However, Flitwick didn't want just anyone taking over his classes," Ginny added.

"But why you?"

"Well, you remember how I had to go to the Ministry for my OWL exams?"

Harry nodded. "I remember, you did nearly as well as Hermione had." He smiled.

She smiled back, "Well, apparently I scored higher on the Charms exam, both the written and the practical than anyone else had in nearly a hundred years. Professor Flitwick approached me after the Start of Term Feast and informed me of his intention to retire and that if I were interested in replacing him, he would provide private instruction. Well, to have the opportunity to teach at Hogwarts, how could I say no?"

"So this will be your second year as well?"

"No," Ginny sighed.

"McGonagall felt it would be… problematic to have two new teachers starting in the same year immediately after graduating." Hermione explained. "So she managed to persuade Flitwick to say on an additional year."

"So what did you do this past year?" Harry turned his full attention onto his girlfriend.

"That." She pointed at the opposite wall.

Harry turned and noticed for the first time, a number of trophies and medals suspending in mid-air against the wall. He stood up and walked over to them. "United Kingdom Dueling Championship, First Place." He tilted one of the gold medals upwards to make it easier to read the enscription. "Stockhlom Dueling Tournement, women's category, ages seventeen to thirty-five". He looked at another trophy. "West European Dueling Championship, First Place." Then to the largest, "World Dueling Championship, Second Place." He turned and gave Ginny a dumbfounded look. "You became a duelist?"

"Professor Flitwick said the best way to gain experience and to learn new charms quickly was to duel as often as possible."

"Impressive." Harry continued to look at the other trophies and medals.

"It's a bit embarrassing having them displayed like this. I'd much rather have them stored in the attic," said Ginny.

Harry gave a stifled laugh. "I suppose I can understand that." Now that he took notice of them, he saw how they really dominated the room.

"But Mum won't hear of it. _You should be proud of your accomplishments, Ginny._" She imitated her mother perfectly, bringing a laugh from both Harry and Hermione.

"Still, it must have been thrilling, traveling all over the world, meeting different people." He trailed off, and though he didn't say it, he couldn't help think with envy, _without people trying to kill you every moment of every day._

"Well…" Ginny was about to go into a long story about the European Championships, which were held in Vienna, but she caught sight of Hermione shaking her head subtly, from the corner of her eye. She looked at the other girl and could see her gesture with her eyes to Harry. From where Ginny was sitting, she could only see Harry's back but could tell that Hermione was able to see his face.

"You were saying?" Harry turned and asked. His melancholy expression seeped through his forced smile.

"Well..." She hesitated for a moment, trying to think of something to say. "Actually, they were rather uneventful, most of the time. See, either Mum or Bill, or Fred and George insisted on accompanying me on each trip. They watched over me like vultures. Wouldn't let me do anything or go anywhere other than to the tournament arena. And because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, security was always very tight in and around the events. It was mostly, go, compete and come right home. Rather boring actually." She grinned, meekly.

"Oh, well that's too bad." Harry's expression fell. He walked back over to the sofa and sat next to his girlfriend. "Well, at least you got the experience you needed, right? Even if you came in second in the World Championship, I'm sure McGonagall couldn't wait to have you join her staff."

"She came in second only on a technicality. She should have won it. But still it wasn't exactly an easy decision for the Head Mistress." Hermione interjected. "See, the position of Potions Master also opened at the same time."

"Potions Master?"

"Yes," She continued. "McGonagall managed to persuade Slughorn to stay on as well. But at a very high price."

"Yes, I'm not sure if you knew this or not, but the Minister of Magic officially recognized the Order of the Phoenix and requested their assistance in defending Hogwarts. Order members patrolled the halls and the grounds for the past three years," Ginny continued.

"And don't forget the dragons," Hermione added.

"Dragons?"

"Yes, they arrived shortly after you, and Ron, and Hermione left the school, after destroying one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Charlie brought them, eight in all, from Romania."

"Goodness sake, why?"

"To serve as perimeter guards around the castle, the lake, even the forest, and at Hogsmeade." Ginny went on.

"What? Were these tame dragons, or under some spell, or something?"

"No, they were wild, definitely wild, but no one could handle them better than Charlie and his staff. And the thought was that even Death Eaters weren't foolish enough to try and battle dragons," Ginny concluded.

"I bet Hagrid loved having them around."

"He did, until he got too close to one and it burned off all his hair. It took him the rest of the term to grow it back," Hermione said soberly.

"Hagrid, without hair? Now that must have been a sight." Harry couldn't contain his laughter.

"Well, anyway, with all the new security, Slughorn agreed to say on as Potions Master, until he learned that Flitwick was training up Ginny to replace him. So Slughorn took on an apprentice of sorts as well," Hermione explained. "And she'll be starting her first term this September as well."

Harry looked from Hermione to Ginny and back again. "So who's the new Potions Master?"

"You'll never believe it," Hermione insisted.

Harry thought about it for a moment, then replied, "Luna? Not Luna Lovegood?"

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Now, how is it you were able to guess that Luna would be the new Potions Master but you couldn't possible see me as the new Charms teacher?" Ginny frowned.

Harry looked at her nervously. "Well… it's just…"

"Just what?" She glared at him.

"You see, I knew that Luna's mother was a Potions Master, a rather brilliant one, according to Luna anyway. I simply assumed, well since McGonagall had already hired Hermione, and well, you… and, well, there really weren't any outstanding potions students in my sixth year, so that ruled out that year. Therefore, that would leave your class and the one after yours, but if McGonagall was going to make you wait a year, I assumed she probably was going to make the new Potions Master wait a year as well. So, though I didn't really know if Luna was Potions Master material, I just assumed that perhaps she inherited her mother's gift for the art." Harry grinned.

Ginny just stared at him for a moment, then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry smiled happily. "Wh-what was that for?"

"For thinking fast on your feet. You've obviously gotten much better at lying over the past three years." She leaned in again and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Well, if I knew lying to you would get me a kiss, I would have learned to do it better years ago." They all laughed. "All right, so let me see if I got this straight. Hermione, you're the Transfiguration teacher and will be starting your second year this September. Ginny, you're the new Charms teacher and Luna is the new Potions Master.

"That about sums it up." Hermione nodded.

"Of course," Ginny flashed Hermione a knowing smile. "There is one position still opened."

Harry looked over at Ginny. "Let me guess. Defense against the Dark Arts?"

"It's been the same since we started. Every year McGonagall has had to find a new teacher," Hermione said.

"Well, with Voldemort dead, that shouldn't be a problem any longer," Harry reasoned.

"Do you really think he was the cause?" Ginny asked.

"Dumbledore told me that Voldemort wanted the position from the time he graduated and even interviewed for it ten years later. Obviously, Dumbledore turned him down, but ever since then, no teacher has held the position for more than one year. But I'm certain his curse died with him," Harry assured Ginny.

"Well, Harry." Hermione smiled. "Have you ever considered a career in teaching?"

"Me, Defense against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Who better?" Ginny questioned. "You were a great teacher for us in Dumbledore's Army. And who better to instruct the next generation of wizards and witches to be prepared to stand against the dark arts than the wizard who defeated the Dark Lord himself?"

Harry stared pensively at a small groove in the floor for a few moments. "It would be like coming home, wouldn't it?" Then he looked up. "But McGonagall already has three teachers less than twenty-one years old. There's no way she'll hire a fourth."

"We won't know unless we ask," countered Hermione.

"Besides, you're Harry Potter. Haven't you got a sense of what that means?" added Ginny.

"No, he doesn't. He's never grasped the full extent of his importance. Have you, Harry?" Hermione gave him a sad look.

The young wizard shifted uneasily on the sofa. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask her, now would it?"

Ginny grinned happily. "Fantastic."

"I'm sure she'll be here tonight for your party. I'll mention it to her then. Who knows, you might have the position before the end of the night." Hermione grinned.

Just then, there was a knock at the back door. "Can we get some assistance here?" shouted Molly Weasley.

Harry spring to his feet and rushed to the door. He opened it with a simple hand gesture, then helped Molly and Fleur with the host of packages and bags they were carrying.


End file.
